Freshman 15 (n): everyone's greatest fear of coming to college and gaining an estimated 15 pounds.
This could be attributed to plenty of reasons, like:
- Eating frequently at the late hours of the night (usually due to assignments or being out late)
- Unhealthy eating habits
- One word: Beer.
- No more homecooked meals (hello, overdosing on Easy Mac and ramen)
- Tendency of grabbing what's most convenient for you without noticing nutrition information
- Being able to eat and do whatever you want without question
The list goes on and on. All I would hear from girls last year talking about their futures of college is, "I can't get the freshman 15!", "I'm so scared of gaining weight," etc. The reality behind this saying is the easiest way to avoid the freshman 15 is to prevent yourself from gaining it.
NO. It's incredibly simple to simply choose to make better choices and not have to deal with hating yourself after every meal. Let's add some details.
Stay away from soda... And excess sugar in general.
We all enjoy our occasional Coke, but the bottom line is soda is way too unhealthy to be drank every single day without consequences. Have you ever looked at the nutrition label on a soda? A typical 20 fluid ounces bottle contains 65 grams of sugar. Seriously, just don't do it. Women are recommended 25 grams of daily sugar intake, and men are recommended 38. So no matter your gender, this will push you well over the limit. Going over on sugar intake can lead to lots of consequences, and it's easy to not realize when you're eating and drinking whatever you want everyday.
Stop eating microwavable food daily.
Yes, it is convenient and saves you a trip to the dining hall, but that Easy Mac is not doing anything for you. Ramen is just filling you up with sodium; Cup Noodles contains 1434mg of the recommended 2300mg per day limit. And let's face it, in reality you'll probably be hungry an hour later anyways.
Hitting the gym once a day keeps the weight away.
But we all know that unless you're crazy dedicated, you won't be hitting the gym every single day. There's our lazy days to our busy days and everything in between. So aiming for a couple times a week should be sufficient. Plus, afterwards you won't feel so bad about your occasional indulgence of foods you know you shouldn't have.
When you start seeing something, do something.
If you start seeing a pouch of fat you didn't have before developing rapidly, start changing your habits then. It's a lot easier to stop in the early stages, compared to when you've actually gained a number of pounds and can't stop noticing it every time you look in the mirror.
Start paying attention to the nutrition facts.
This is a simple rule that goes a long way. Being aware of what you're about to intake before you actually do can lead you to making healthier choices without much second thought.
Drink more water.
Water makes up the majority of our body, so it's obvious that it plays a key role in our transporting of nutrients, digestion, and more. Not only will it help you stay hydrated and healthy, but it helps with exhaustion and maintaining focus.
Don't get pizza every time you go to the dining hall.
Pizza seems to be a staple to student choices at the dining hall when all it really has is unnecessary dairy and carbs. I know you love pizza. I do too. But there are other healthier options available to you, plus do you not ever get sick of it?
Always aim for the healthier alternatives.
If you really need that bag of chips, look for the reduced fat version. Or if you really need that Dunkin coffee (large caramel mocha = 54 grams of carbs), try to ask for less sugar, skim milk, etc. There are lots of ways to still eat what you crave without that gross feeling at the end.
Go to the dining hall instead of the local food hub.
Dining hall food is usually more cut to healthier choices, so as you walk around you won't have that Ben & Jerry's, popcorn, chocolate candies, and more just staring you down, waiting for your next move.
Try eating earlier to avoid your late night hunger from rising.
It's a very popular theory that when you tend to eat late at night and go to sleep soon after, much of those calories go straight to your fat deposits. There is much controversy over this topic, but you know what they say- better safe than sorry.
Maintain your desired weight, but don't let yourself miss out on pigging out.
We all have those days, so don't feel bad.
You deserve it.
